Hungarian Protesters Tell Orban to ‘Get Out’

By

Gergo Racz

Jan 3, 2012 12:50 pm CET

BUDAPEST—Crowds gathered outside the Opera building here Monday evening to stage a protest against what they saw as an antidemocratic new constitution just as the Hungarian government hosted a gala event to celebrate it.

Speakers at the protest accused Mr. Orban’s government of constraining civil liberties and acting against democracy. The crowd expressed their dissatisfaction by chanting “Viktor, get out,” “traitors,” “Viktator,” and “junk”—the latter referring to Hungary’s recent downgrades to non-investment category by rating agencies Standard & Poors Corp. and Moody’s Investors Service.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s Fidesz party has a dominant two-thirds majority in parliament, which allowed it to pass a new basic law on its own, without the involvement of the political opposition.